Born Reckless (1937)

A champion auto racer takes a job with a taxicab company being harassed by a gangster who wants to take over all the cab companies in town.

Director:

Malcolm St. Clair

Writers:

Jack Andrews (story), John Patrick (screenplay),

Stars:

Rochelle Hudson, Brian Donlevy, Barton MacLane

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Rochelle Hudson	...	Sybil Roberts
Brian Donlevy	...	Bob 'Hurry' Kane
Barton MacLane	...	Jim Barnes
Robert Kent	...	Lee Martin
Harry Carey	...	Dad Martin
Pauline Moore	...	Dorothy Collins
Chick Chandler	...	Windy Bowman
William Pawley	...	Henchman Mac
Francis McDonald	...	Henchman Louie
George Walcott	...	Danny Horton (as George Wolcott)
Joseph Crehan	...	District Attorney

Storyline

Racketeer Jim Barnes is trying to force the independent taxicab-drivers to join his 'protection service" at the cost of five bucks a day. Champion race-car driver, Bob Kane, joins with his friends Lee and "Dad" Martin in a fight for the street rights of a big city.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | race car | racketeer | fight | bribery | 

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Taglines:

She taunts death for the thrill of it!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 July 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Armored Taxi

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

59 min 59 min (FMC Library Print) (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Due to a filming accident in which he injured two fingers of his left hand, Brian Donlevy spends almost the entire film with the hand in question either in his pocket, heavily gloved or somehow out of sight. It's finally revealed in its bandaged late in the final sequence.

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Goofs

When "Hurry" Kane drops Sybil off at the county jail there is minimal damage to the taxi. In the next scene the taxi pulls into the garage with substantial damage.

User Reviews

A Top Fox "B"

An extremely lively, well-acted programmer, credited to director Mal St Clair, a top man in the silent period, but now working in Fox's "B" unit. As usual for Fox, the budget looks extremely generous for a "B"-grader, with lots of extras, attractive sets, and Miss Hudson modeling a stunning series of winning costumes. But most important ingredient of all: scads of action! Indeed perhaps too much action and too over the top. The script is credited to John Patrick, plus Fox's top writing team, Robert Ellis and Helen Logan. Unfortunately, "Born Reckless" was a troubled production. Donlevy injured his left hand, other writers were brought in, and director Gustav Machaty shot some footage – possibly all of the more spirited scenes with Donlevy which do not seem typical of credited director Mal St Clair's usual, far more leisurely style. The action spots are certainly most vigorously staged but rather far-fetched for what is supposed to be a realistic exposé of graft and corruption in the taxi industry.